Apparatus for steaming cloth and- other fabrics



(No Model.)

71V. T.. VAN FLEET.

APPARATUS TOR STEAMING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS.` No. 382,063. Patented May l, 1888.

MANA

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERs Phnm-Liihogmphr, wmingeen. n, c.

UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE@ VOORHEES T. VAN FLEET, OF SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR STEAM'ING CLOTH ANDn OTHER FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,063l dated May 1, 1888.

Application filed May 25,1887. Serial No. 239,333. (No model.)

To all whom it 17mg concern:

Be it. known that I, VOORHEES' T. VAN FLEET, of Somerville, inthe-county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Oloth and other Fabrics, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescrip tion.

Thisinvention relates to machines or apparatus-such as used by clothiers and others for steaming cloth, and lcommonly known as steamspongers-in which the cloth, before use or as it comes from the manufacturers, is passed over onen or more perforated surfaces through which steam oftheproperhygrometric conditionand pressure or heat is passed to act upon either one or opposite surfaces of the cloth, suitable means being provided for controlling the collection of water of condensation in the apparatus accordingly as a variable moist or drier condition of the steam is required or as the nature or thickness of the goods may den1and.`

My invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts in apparatus of the above description, substantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims, whereby the desired results are very perfectly secured and a fuller adaptability of y the apparatus to different qualities or kinds Vand thicknesses of goods is obtained, and other advantages are secured. It should here be observed, however, that, while the apparatus is adapted to simultaneously steam opposite surfaces of t-he cloth, it is not designed directly to steam or to expose the outervsurface of the cloth, as doing this is apt to spot the cloth and otherwise injure it. I therefore pass the cloth through the apparatus doubled in the direction of its width as it comes from the manufacturer, with its inner surface outermost in both thicknesses, thus never exposing the fair or outer side ofthe cloth to the air, nor yet to the direct action of the steam in sponging it.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l represents a plan view of the ap paratus embodying my invention 5 Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same upon the line as x in Fig; 1; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, upon the line y y in Fig. 2, of one of the perforated steamingbeams of the apparatus; and Fig. et, a broken detail longitudinal View of a board in part, upon which the cloth is wrapped, with one of the devices in partial section for holding and rotating said board.

A indicates the frame of the apparatus, which frame may be of any suitable construction, and is provided with a foot-board, B, for laying the doubled and folded cloth C upon to be stcamsponged and finished, as shown at the right hand of Fig. 2.

D. D are the hollow steaming-beams of the apparatus, arranged transversely of the main frame, and one in advance of the other. These beams are of partly-cylindrical shape on their acting surfaces, which are provided with steaming-perforations b, and which face in reverse t directions atsuitablc angles relatively to each other, so that as the doubled cloth from the folded pile on the footboard B is passed :first over the perforated surface of the lower beam, D, and subsequently over the perforated surface of the upper beam, D', it will hug said perforated surfaces on its back surface or opposite back surfaces, thus never exposing the fair or front side of the cloth either to the atmosphere or directly l to the steam issuing through the perforations b, whereby spotting and injury of the cloth will be avoided. These steaming-beams D D are of peculiar construction, to provide for different hygrometric conditions of the steam passing through the perforat-ions b to actupon the cloth accordingly as the quality or thicknesses ofthe goods require to be treated with dry steam, moderat-ely wet steam, or very wet steam. Thus each of said beams D D' has a series of longitudinal partitions, c, in it, arranged one above the other and forma ing a succession of upper and lower compartments, here shown as three, d d d2, but which are not restricted to number, so long as there are two, or more than two, to which steam is admitted, and from which it is discharged at different levels, whereby either no water of condensation is allowed to collect in certain of A other source through a main pipe, c, and is let on to any one of the compartments d d' d2, as required, by branehesfff2, controlled by cocks g, and connecting respectively at different levels with the compartments d d d2 at their one end. A similar disposition of outlet or exhaust pipe h and branches 1i t i, controlled by cocks la, is made at the opposite ends of said compartments. ,The branchesf2 and t? connect with the upper compartment, di, at its lowest point orlevel in each beam D D', so that no water of condensation can collect in said compartment when the valves controlling said branches are properly regulated. This will serve to work veryhot or dry steam 'in the apparatus-that is, to expose the cloth passing over the perforated beams D D to dry steam only.

When thesteam coming from l he generator is a moderately moist one, or when it is required to make it have a damper action upon the cloth, then steam is admitted and circulated through the compartment d in each beam D D by the branches f t", which connect with the compartment d at a level slightly above the lowest point or line of its interior, thus allowing a certain amount of water of condensation to collect inthe compartment d,and so contribute to the dampening of the cloth.

If a still Wetter stream is used, or a further dampening ofthe cloth is required, then steam is let on to and circulated through each lower compartment, d, in each beam D D by or through the branchesf t', which connect with the compartment d at a still higher level relatively to the lowest point or line of its interior, which allows of a still larger amount of water of condensation to collect in said compartment. By this construction, and by suitably controlling the inlets and outlets to and from the several compartments d d d?, the apparatus may be readily adapted to steam or work most or all kinds and thicknesses of cloths subject to different hygrometric conditions of the steam.

Vents m, tted with plugs n, may be made in the compartments ot' the steamingbeams D D to run offthe watcrof condensation from them when required.

After the cloth has been steamed it passes from the beam D in between heavy pressurerolls G G, which iinishesit and smooths down or restores the nap to its original condition on the face of the cloth.

The cloth is drawn through the apparatus and taken up as tinished by wrapping it upon a dat board, H, made to rotate and arranged to occupy a position at the back end of the main frame A. This board is the same one or l similar to that upon which the cloth was put up by the manufacturer. It is held and adjusted to its place for rotation by slipping it at its ends within clamps or holders I l, fitted to rotate in bearings in the main frame and provided each with a spur, o, to hold onto the board. One ofthese clamps, I, acts as a'driver and may be turned by a crank or handle, r, while the other clamp, I', is free to rotate in its bearings, and is longitudinally adjustable by its shaft s to vary the distance apart of the two clamps to suit different lengths of the board H, which vary with the width of the cloth. XVhen said adjustable clamp l is slid or set up as required, it is held n position by a spring-actuated or other stop, u, arranged to engage with any one, as required, of a series of annular grooves forming collars c in the shaft s.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In apparatus for steaming cloth and other fabrics, the perforated steaming-beams D D', constructed with a series ot' longitudinal compartments arranged one above the other and provided with steam inlets and outlets at their opposite ends at differentheights or levels relatively to the bottoms of their respective compartments, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of the partlycircular perforated steaming-beams D D, arranged one above the other to face in reverse directions,and provided with longitudinal compartments d d d2, disposed one above another, the steam inlet and exhaust pipes e h, having branches fff" and t t" i2, arranged to connect with said compartments at different heights from the bottoms thereof, respectively, and the valves g fr, controlling said branches, essentially as shown and described.

3. In a machine ofthe character described, a series of steam-chambers having their re` spective outlets for water of condensation arranged on different levels from theirbottoms, substantially as specified. f

VOORHEES T. VAN FLEET.

Witnesses:

A. GREGORY, C. SEDGWICK.

IOO 

